JP got his first taste of CrossFit in the Army while deployed to Iraq in 2009, and loved every sand-choked bit of it. When he returned home from that deployment, he built a garage gym, and spent the next five years learning about and doing CrossFit by using CrossFit.com workouts and hundreds of YouTube weightlifting and instructional videos.

CrossFit has since developed into full-fledged family affair, and he wouldn’t have it any other way! His wife, Liz, and two daughters, Emily and Jessica, are familiar faces within the community, and he loves the positive message that CrossFit sends to the younger generation: there is incredible beauty in strength, and success is measured by how much “work” you do in life.

JP has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Creighton University and an M.B.A. from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

• CrossFit Level 2 Trainer

• CrossFit Kids Trainer

• USAW L2 Sports Performance Coach

• CrossFit Aerobic Capacity Course

• CrossFit Mobility Course

Allie first gave CrossFit a try at her friend's gym in Milwaukee in October of 2012, less than a month after running into him at the finish line of a half marathon. After surviving her first experience with "Fight Gone Bad," she started adding two classes each week to her running cross-training program. When her knees no longer supported her affinity for long-distance running, she switched her focus solely to CrossFit and hasn't looked back.

As she's gotten older, and officially joined the Masters rank, her love for fitness and competition continue to grow. Allie has seen the physical and mental benefits of being a member of the CrossFit community, and hopes to encourage others to show up and give their all at CrossFit Factorial.

• CrossFit Level 2 Trainer

Amanda tried CrossFit at the encouragement of a coworker in 2012. After being utterly destroyed by a six-minute bodyweight workout, she was hooked.

Over time, CrossFit has made Amanda stronger, faster, fitter, and more confident, both inside the gym and out. Now, more than a decade later, she still can't imagine her life without it and this amazing community. Her goal is to help every athlete in their individual pursuit of fitness, and she believes that the simplest things - developing good movement patterns, practicing basic techniques, and regular mobility - are the keys to success no matter what your goals are. Most importantly, she hopes sharing CrossFit with others will positively impact their lives as much as it has impacted her own.

Amanda has a Bachelor's degree in Communications and Psychology from Northwestern University.

• CrossFit Level 2 Trainer

• CrossFit Aerobic Capacity Course

• Certified Precision Nutrition Coach - Level 1

A good friend of Huffie’s introduced him to CrossFit, telling him “You will love it.” After that first WOD, he’s never been the same; Huffie had found what he had been looking for his whole life.

Growing up in the Netherlands, he played some soccer and windsurfed with his father and brothers. After college, he moved to the USA by way of a finance job, but he soon lost sight of his fitness. He decided it was time for a change, and started going to the gym, but struggled to achieve his fitness goals. With CrossFit, he was able to achieve a new level of fitness he didn’t think was possible for an athlete in his forties. He strongly believes that CrossFit is a good fit for everyone; it will truly improve a person’s quality of life and longevity.

Huffie has a Master’s degree in Financial Business Economics from Erasmus University in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

• CrossFit Level 2 Trainer

• Certified Concept2 Indoor Rowing Instructor

Throughout his life, John has been involved in numerous sports, but after college there wasn't much time for exercise while raising a family and running his photography business. In his forties, John began mountain bike racing, participating in triathlons, and obstacle course racing. After a friend introduced him to CrossFit in 2011, he immediately bonded with the close-knit community of like-minded athletes, and was inspired by the encouragement everyone received to push themselves to be the best they could be. John has dedicated the past five years to learning all he can about proper technique and continues to improve himself and the athletes he coaches.

• CrossFit Level 2 Trainer

• USAW L1 Sports Performance Coach

• CrossFit Mobility Course

• Certified Concept2 Indoor Rowing Instructor

While she's often found on the floor of the gym, laying on top of a lacrosse ball, or foam rolling, she does more than mobility: Lia does CrossFit. From skateboarding, to ice hockey, to golf: Lia had done it all. But once she discovered CrossFit in high school, her previous athletic passions no longer compared. Six years later the self proclaimed "jock" continues to CrossFit religiously.

"Nothing else makes sense," says Lia in regard to CrossFit. And as such she aims to learn as much as she can about the sport for her own knowledge and to with others. Though her "study" of CrossFit really started while she was living in Boulder, Colorado during college. Lia earned a Bachelors degree in Humanities with a minor in Business, all the while dedicating many hours at her local gym learning about and doing CrossFit.

"I like things I'm bad at," says Lia, "...and while you can be an exceptional CrossFitter there's always room for improvement. With CrossFit, the better you are, the harder it becomes. The challenge is limitless."

• CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

• USAW L1 Sports Performance Coach

Mark was introduced to CrossFit by one of his high school wrestling teammates. Once he did his first WOD, he knew he was hooked! After working out in a his garage gym for several months, he decided to take the plunge and attend the CrossFit trainer course. Mark's passion for fitness knowledge has grown throughout the years, as his interests have ranged from endurance training to Olympic lifting.

As a student at Illinois State University, Mark first began coaching in 2011 at CrossFit Fit Bodies, and has since coached at a few gyms in the Chicago suburbs. Mark loves CrossFit because it emphasizes proper movement with the goal of achieving efficiency. It also creates a fun and competitive atmosphere. "CrossFit is all about enhancing peoples’ lives through movement, both inside and outside of the gym."

• CrossFit Level 2 Trainer

• USAW L1 Sports Performance Coach

• CrossFit Endurance Course

• CrossFit Gymnastics Course

• CrossFit Mobility Course

• Rocktape FMT Level 1

Melinda has always enjoyed being physically active. She was an avid volleyball player growing up, and continued to play regularly as an adult. Most of Melinda’s fitness activities revolved around volleyball leagues, bouts of group fitness classes, and occasionally trying a new intramural sport. She had never participated in any weightlifting, gymnastics, or high-intensity training until her husband started CrossFit – he loved it and was convinced that she would too. Melinda enjoys competition, physical challenges, and working towards personal goals, so CrossFit seemed like a natural fit for her, and it was. She’s been squatting, deadlifting, clean-and-jerking, rowing, running, pressing, box-jumping, and more since beginning CrossFit in 2011.

Through CrossFit, Melinda has cultivated a passion for strength training and barbell movements, which she had never been exposed to previously, and has developed fitness abilities that previously seemed impossible. Whether practicing movements that come naturally, or challenging herself to improve on those that are difficult, training through CrossFit has been immensely satisfying and has positively influenced parts of Melinda’s life outside of the gym in unexpected ways.

CrossFit communities are supportive and encouraging environments that foster inspirational changes in people of all fitness abilities. Melinda’s experience being part of these communities has been fantastic and she’s excited to share her enthusiasm with others through coaching at CrossFit Factorial.

Melinda received her Bachelor of Science in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Michigan and her Doctorate in Cell and Molecular Physiology from the University of North Carolina. She currently works in the pharmaceutical industry.

• CrossFit Level 2 Trainer

• USAW L1 Sports Performance Coach

Micha came into the world of sports and athletics late in life. She spent most of her childhood playing the cello, and her parents made sure to keep her busy with school and orchestra. It wasn’t until 2013 that she came across Crossfit, while at an auction for her grad school program in New York. She spent $30 on a month of unlimited Crossfit and has never looked back.

Her coach at Crossfit Hell’s Kitchen asked her to get certified in 2015, and she started coaching there in 2016. It was a great way to fill a void that had been created when she left teaching a few years earlier. The aspect of teaching she had been missing the most were those moments of personal growth and accomplishment that made her students proud of themselves. She found that in Crossfit, those moments are happening all the time. People are continually accomplishing and setting new goals, challenging themselves both physically and mentally, supporting one another through those challenges, and are able to walk out the gym every day feeling accomplished. That’s why she’s loved the past few years of both learning and coaching Crossfit.

Micha’s continued her career in education even though she’s no longer in the classroom.

She currently works as a Program Officer at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. If it’s a weeknight or weekend and she’s not at the gym, it’s probably because she’s traveling for work. Otherwise, expect to see her around the gym regularly, and probably for way too long.

• CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

Sports and fitness have been a large part Sara’s life since the time she took the field in Morton Grove’s Pigtail Softball League (she ironically had a classic bowl haircut at the time). Growing up she continued to play on various competitive softball and basketball teams throughout high school; she also was a member of her high school’s student led dance troupe. Sara still spends summers pitching or playing third base for her co-recreational softball teams in Evanston and the city.

While living a few blocks away from the lakefront after college, Sara took up an interest in distance running and triathlon. Though she enjoyed running along the lake for pleasure and competing in various races, she missed the camaraderie and competitive high she once felt playing team sports. She first learned of CrossFit around 2007 and thought it was something she would probably enjoy doing, but it wasn’t until she moved back to Evanston after finishing graduate school (and once again had time for a life) in 2012 that Sara finally listened to the pleadings of her elementary school friend and fellow athlete. “You NEED to do this. It is right up your alley and you will love it.” It took just one CrossFit workout, and she was hooked!

Sara received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Gender Studies from Northwestern University and her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Las Vegas, Nevada. After completing her three year commitment to Teach for America, she earned her graduate degree in School Psychology from Illinois State University. She is currently a school psychologist at a local suburban high school by day, CrossFit aficionado and coach at Factorial by night.

Athletic Accomplishments:

• 2019 U.S.A. Master's National Championship Bronze Medalist in the Clean and Jerk (59kg weight class in the 35-39 year-old age bracket)

• 2019 U.S.A. Master's Nationals Championship Bronze Medalist for Combined Total (59kg weight class in the 35-39 year-old age bracket)

• Team Member of the 2019 U.S.A. Women's Master's National Championship Team - Team SAW (Strength Agenda Weightlifting)

Coaching Credentials:

• CrossFit Level 2 Trainer

• CrossFit Kids Trainer

• USAW L1 Sports Performance Coach

• CrossFit Aerobic Capacity Course